After an auspicious start as a fashion model, Sidharth Malhotra quickly and sensationally made the jump to acting, where he has crafted a passionate worldwide following for his television and film appearances. including the upcoming film ‘Yodha’ and web series ‘Indian Police Force’. This marks his first Dazzler of the Day crowning, in a happy year that started off with a much-ballyhooed wedding.
Currently starring in the Barrington Stage Company’s production of ‘Cabaret’, Dan Amboyer earns his first Dazzler of the Day crowning thanks to an impressive theatrical career, with turns in such classics as ‘The Tempest’, ‘Godspell’, ‘Dido and Aeneas’, ‘As You Like It’, ‘Inherit the Wind’, and The Importance of Being Earnest’. His latest onscreen appearance was in the Neil Patrick Harris Netflix comedy series ‘Uncoupled’ and he recently became a father, so he will likely be booked for the foreseeable future. Catch him here for now.
Fresh off their Tony win as Best Leading Actor in a Musical, J. Harrison Ghee earns their first crowning as Dazzler of the Day. With an acclaimed performance in ‘Some Like It Hot’, Ghee is burning up the Broadway boards, which should come as no surprise to those of us who have followed their incendiary career, including on-stage appearances in ‘Kinky Boots‘, ‘Mrs. Doubtfire’, and ‘Chicago’. I can’t wait to see where they will take us next.
Late in the night during one of my teenage years she came to me. Flipping through the channels, I paused as this red-haired force of nature chewed the entire screen up with a fascinating amalgamation of song, comedy, stories, acting, and brilliance. This was Sandra Bernhard in her iconic show ‘Without You I’m Nothing’ – one of the first introductions some of us had to the wit, bravado, and bold magnificence of this performer, and reason alone for naming her Dazzler of the Day. She created worlds upon worlds of emotion and pathos and thrilling comedic relief, taking us right up to the edge of all that was known and familiar, then gleefully tossing us all over it. I fell for her then and there, and it’s been a lifelong love affair ever since. She is busier than ever, appearing on stage and screen and radio and album – and her summer schedule has her popping up in all the classic LGBTQ+ destinations, starting with San Francisco and Provincetown. Check out her website here for more info on all the things she has brewing.
For many gay males of a certain era (namely mine) the International Male and Undergear catalogs were our entryway into the world of gay erotica. Cloaked in often-campy and always-questionable fashion, it was the lack of clothing options – and underwear-forward photo shoots – that made these catalogs such a hit. Not gonna lie – I was there for the fashion too, and the true shame in my closet wasn’t my sexuality as much as the multitude of lace-up pirate shirts that once constituted the wardrobe, to say nothing of all the gauze… but I disdainfully digress.
One of those male models who personified International Male and the unattainable aspiration they were selling was Brian Buzzini. He will forever be embedded in my teenage fantasies, moodily staring out of those pages clad in a skimpy pair of black bikini briefs, as if he lived his life on the shore, just hanging out in his underwear – and that was most certainly the life for me. Today he looks just as chiseled, with the additional character that a couple of decades imbues into the best of the survivors (and those who have obviously taken care of themselves over the years). For that, he earns this Dazzler of the Day.
Hot off the heels of his appearance in last year’s ‘Fire Island’, Zane Phillips is making a Speedo-clad splash in the new ‘Glamorous’ (for anyone seeking a Samantha fix before her ‘And Just Like That’ return cameo). This marks the auspicious first crowning of Phillips as Dazzler of the Day, with more features like to come.
Earlier this month, Chad Putman turned 48 years old and moved to San Juan, Puerto Rico in an effort to recharge and take advantage of a mid-life opportunity. I like that take on what others have traditionally dismissed as a mid-life crisis, and changing woe-is-me perspectives and feelings of powerlessness are two tenets of Putman’s latest endeavor. His website and mantra of Make Your It Happen is a treasure-trove of inspiration and aspiration, and Putman’s indefatigable spirit is gloriously infectious. That’s not to say he’s lost in the clouds and unaware of the reality of life – quite the opposite – he acknowledges and embraces those trying moments, turning them into lessons and signposts of when and how to change and evolve. He’s taken his years of experience and turned them into a hybrid that may have been his destiny all along, in the form of one triumphant triumvirate: Consultant, Coaching & Project Development. For all of that, Putman earns his first Dazzler of the Day crowning. Check out his website here, and follow the journey on his YouTube channel here.
IYKYK.
This is Jack Smith.
Jack is the Dazzler of the Day.
See Jack indict.
Thank you, Jack.
(Next installment: Mr. Smith goes to Washington.)
Hot off their recent Tony Award for their performance in ‘Shucked’ (which actually looked, and more importantly sounded, like a gleeful musical romp) Alex Newell may now add Dazzler of the Day to an already-impressive resume. Their work includes a celebrated turn on ‘Glee’, but I was more astounded by their talent when I got to see them in the glorious revival of ‘Once On This Island’ a few years ago. Now I’ve added ‘Shucked’ to my wish list in the hopes of witnessing Newell on stage again.
His ‘Problemattic World Tour‘ is all but sold-out for the next year, including four shows at nearby Proctor’s Theater (to which I’d hoped to score tickets but arrived a few hours too late) and he is easily one of the hottest comedians storming stages today. I caught on to his magic a long time ago, when his Tik Tok drops would send me to sleep laughing my ass off thanks to several viral audience interactions and his talented way of working a crowd into a riotous frenzy. The fact that he is easy on the eyes makes the whole package seem too good to be true, and Matt Rife earns this Dazzler of the Day for making us all laugh without resorting to crude or cheap shots, and piercing through to the heart inherent in the best humor.
Sara Bareilles wrote one of the best pop songs of the new millennium in the form of ‘Brave’, but to limit her bottomless reservoir of talent to a pop tune is to miss an incredible body of work, such as her song-writing and musical theater genius (she wrote the score for ‘Waitress’ and later appeared in the titular role). More recently, she could be seen and heard treading the boards in the revival of ‘Into the Woods’. She earns this Dazzler of the Day for a career of Grammy, Olivier, Tony, Emmy, Drama Desk, Outer Circle Desk Award nominations and wins.
For gay men of a certain age (myself most definitely included), the best source of fashionable and racy underwear a couple of decades ago was the ‘International Male’ catalog; the modern-day version of such a supply has to be Andrew Christian, who has made his underwear company the gold-standard of fun under-attire. Having established himself as a brand thanks to skillful and sexy promotional images and videos, and an ever-evolving selection of merchandise that celebrates all sorts of sexiness, Christian walks the walk of his scantily-attired talk, thrilling on his Instagram feed with his own products. He earns this Dazzler of the Day for that, and for giving us something more than boxers or briefs from which to choose.
Taking a swashbuckling turn through sensational sartorial splendor, Aaron Henrikson first caught my eye when he was working with Madonna on her make-up. Since then, he’s made a name for himself in his own right thanks to an unending arsenal of stunning ensembles, and a wardrobe that sets a new standard for what it means to make a stunning impression. Thanks to that, he earns this Dazzler of the Day crowning.
Just when I thought we might not have an unofficial Pride Anthem this year, Kylie Minogue comes along to snatch the Queen of the Gays title back from whomever had it last with her new bop ‘Padam Padam’ from her upcoming album ‘Tension’. For that alone she would earn this Dazzler of the Day, but Minogue has a long history of gay anthems in her pocket to back it all up further. I’m old enough to remember her first storming of the US charts with a remake of ‘Locomotion’ back in the 1980’s and since then she’s been a favorite of my community. Check out the new song and video below.
One of the greatest football (soccer) players in history, Cristiano Ronaldo has turned all that talent into a lucrative career of products and endorsements ranging from underwear to cologne (two of my favorite things), all of which can be seen on his website here. More powerful is the legacy of his athletic accomplishments, which is reason alone for this Dazzler of the Day.
Ronaldo has been featured in numerous posts here previously, perhaps best encapsulated in this linkalicious post.
